Having purchased my cat perviously owned and not having driven a Jag previously, I am somewhat at a loss as to what is and what is not normal. I have always heard how smooth and quiet these big cats move, so it is a bit of a suprise that mine seems to have a considerable amount of road noise, most of which assume to be from the oversized wide 60series Dean tires it came with. I assume these huge wide tires are low end and noisy, but they are brand new and for the amount of driving I do (May - Sept) don't warrant replacement this year. I wonder how problematic the XJ40 is for rear bearings and rear end noise?? The engine despite being checked for all sources, does not idle smoothly, having a slight but noticable vibration. is this normal?At speed the cat runs very strongly and with no issues passing or highway driving. (In fact it has scary power reserves and goes like a rocket!!) I am, having an aviation background, always paranoid about small noises, vibrations, etc. I find it very difficult to simply drive it until it fails if it can be addressed prior to breaking or failing. My car was purchased form a Jaguar shop, ands was driven daily by the owner. Am I to assumethat all the buzing, whiring and clicking from the various hidden dash sensors is normal? Are the noise levels something he'd be unconcened with ona customer owned car? Or...has he simply unloaded a potential money pit??? Everyone who has serviced the cars says it's a great car. So having nothing to compare the XJ to,I really need to know how your XJcat runs, and what I should and should not be concerned about.

 

Jaguar should idle smoothly and when idling you hear a sound which I like very much .It sounds like a wind to me . Anyway, suspension system might fail due to mileage ,bushings are not expensive but other components to the suspension especially the shocks are expensive . Be careful about the rust and look at under trunk by just removing carpet .
As I recall,steering rack can be problematic due to age as well as mileage . Other than that despite some bugs , XJ40 makes addiction imo

 

Ok, For now I'm gonna blame the cheap rubber.... It wouldbe nice to be able to try another set of wheels and tires and see if it is. Don't want to spend a lot of money changing parts for he process of elimination theory. I always start at the wrong end of that chain.

 

Well, at least you hit the mark in other words correct part of the chain by picking up an XJ40 . You should beware pre '92 models that came with the hyraulic suspension oil (green stuff) because fix is expensive and the parts are not cheap as late models . Keep in mind, you can convert those systems .

 

When driving my 93 xj is smooth as can be, but when it idles it vibrates sometimes a little sometimes more. I think that's just because the panaling is lose. Also if I lower the steering wheel it does not vibrate.

It's possible something is wrong with ur self leveling suspension.

What's your background in aviation man. I have 5 hours right now, and am definatly going to Southern Illinois' Aviation school at carbondale after I graduate.

 

Having my tires rotated and balanced a month ago got rid of the road noise and vibration I used to get on the highway. Also, I had my chains replaced so my engine is quieter.

 

My XJ is a 93 and doesn't have the self leveling. I just finding more overall road noise (tires, bearings, rear end, or all?)than I"d have expected from a Jaguar. It's be great to drive another one or get some idea of what is normal.Both my Mustang and Regal are way quieter.I remember finding the same with my first time driving a Rolls. It was louder than their advertised "the loudest sound in a Rolls Royce it the ticking of the clock" of course itwas a 1959 Phantom, I also found the same for the 1982 Shadow. In short...they lied. Motor andExhaust are what you actually hear, but over all the Roller is a quiet car, as good as any Cadillac or Lincoln I've driven.


As for flyin 93, I flew jets in the armed forces, and presently hold a private licence andstay current on my 1973 Citabria 7ECA.

 

I will point out a few things in my post w/o hijacking this thread
First, welcome back 93xj6
Second, you have to hear some engine sounds especially on a V8 car . I heard same thing as well ticking of clock in a Rolls Royce . Well, I'd prefer a rattle free car then a silent car .
Third, vibrations can be fuelled by many things even a wrong tyre choice would do that let alone unbalanced tires .

 

I"m leaning towards a bad wheel bearing in the rear, although the tires are noisy. The sound seems to belouder after its last service, and has a distinct growling sound. It may be the exhaust tone that I'm hearing now that the mufflers were welded at the joint cause they were bad. In any case it will only be a month or so befor the cat gets put into the Igloo for winter storage, so it's not really worth the effort of over analyzing. What will be will be... If it's a bad bearing it will continue to get worse andthen be far easier to isolate as the cause. I might get the Jag dealership to test drive it for a laugh and see if the estimateoutweighs the value of the car.

 

If it's a rear wheel bearing, don't let it go too far. The race will spin in the aluminum carrier housing and wallering it out. Then you're talking big bucks.

 

Any tips on diagnosis Ken??? How do I tell which it is if anything?

 

They are really like any other wheel bearing in the world. Put the wheels in the air and see if you can rock the tire. You will know if they are bad.

 

Thanks Ken... I'll get it checked. It's just a little frustrating not knowing what the norm is. I'd justaways had the impression that Jags are...well quiet. I might be way off base and the car might have normal and expected levels, but really, my Buick is far smoother, quieter, and rides as nice as the XJ. Not that I'm unhappy with the Cat, I'm growing to love it, and although it's older andprobably not worth putting a lot of money into, I do want to keep it in good working order as much as is practical.

 

Yes, it should be very quiet, but like you said it's an older car. I know I make a hell of a lot more noise than I did in my youth!

 

there is no question in my mind that the Series 3 XJ-6 is a quieter car than the (Series 4) XJ-40.One of the reasons that I have kept my 1984 XJ-6 for 17 years is the quietness andthe balanced-feeling I get when driving it.Even with the 60 series Dunlop tires that I use, the car is very quiet inside. No road noise is heard inside unless I open the windows.

Engine vibrations?depends on mileage and engine wear. If the vibration"shakes" the body, and then, somewhat intermittently,I would definitely replace the Motor Mounts, a cheap item which results in a lot of difference. Replacing them is no big deal either, but I would suggest you get the Service Manual, about $25.00 in the following link:

http://www.lbcarco.com/cgi-bin/gen5?...ls+on+CD&o=

After that, if the vibration continues, (chances are it will dissapear), then I would go for the Transmission Mount assembly, another cheapway to find outwithout spending too much.After that, I would check theengine itself, specifically the Cams, for a flat-spot that may be the cause of the intermittent vibration.

Shock absorbers, if you do not have the "self-leveling" rear system,count your blessings. And I disagreeabout shock absorbersbeing expensive, it depends a lot on what brand and from who you buy.For example, I would not spend any more than $30. per shock, because shocks-are-shocks-are-shocks and no matter if youinstallvery expensive shocks, they will wear out in the same amount of time as a cheaper shock. Monroe, Gabriel, and other cheap brands will give youbetween 10 and 15 thousand miles of real service before theyrequire replacement, and even then, you can keep going until they fail.Same for Bilstein, Koni, and what have you. So why burn the money in a part that is simply not going tolast over 15k miles? Remember that Jaguar came with Girling shocks from the factory, the equivalent of Monroe over here!

Koni, Bilstein, and other brands start outhard as a rock, bad for your back and suspension parts, the Jaguar "feel" is a smooth suspension, not a hot-rod.

Please note I am talking based on my experiences since 1969 when I bought my first british car, a 1969 MG-B. I've tried all possible shock brands in the last 35 yearsexcept one, and the reason I haven't tried that one, is because they are so expensive. but if anyone wants to know, I am referring to SPAX shocks. Made in Britain. Totally unaffordable when you have two Jags to maintain.

 

An aquaintance has a 92 XJ in mint condition. He's kindly offered to let me drive her and compare cats. I've not yet done so, but in conversation we had he states the XJ is quieter than any car he's driven and every bit as quiet as a Lincoln Town Car...something I can relate to as I have owned one of those. Sounds like I've got some work ahead of me... He's suggested my problem may lay with the CV type plastic axle joints as his were cracked and made the same growl. Might save a lot of money looking at this area first. Oh well it is a Jag... Sigh

 

What CV type plastic joints? You car has u-joints all the way through except where the prop shaft comes into the diff it's joined with a rubber coupler.

 

Hmm, That might be what he's reffering to Ken, he said the best description was like CV's but made of a hard rubber or plastic.... Anyway since noting the problem, I've noticed it becomes very apparent (or should I say gets significantly louder) at around 80kms or so... not as noticable below or above this range.

 

Very possible and easy to inspect. Just visually check the rubber coupler where the prop shaft and diff meet. You should see no cracking, etc.

 

Thanks Ken...
Does this sound like I'm in the right area? I'm not overly concerned as the Jag is going into hibernation at the end of September orearly October so I'll likely not worry about repair until spring thaw.

BTW any tips on winter storage for an older Jag would be helpfull. On our mustang, I usually just topup the levels, add fuel stabilizer to the tank, change oil, and slightly overpressure the tires. Also looking at atrickle charger used for motorcyle stroragethat reads battery level and only adds charge when it falls below a certain level. Add a coat of fresh wax, and some absorbant in a can for inside and that's all I can think of...